Establishes a full year youth employment immersion pilot program for eligible youths and young adults between the ages of 16 and 24; directs the office of temporary and disability assistance to establish a youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program in 3 local social services districts, with one being located in the city of New York.
STATE OF NEW YORK
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184--A
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE(Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. PERSAUD, RAMOS, SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and
ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Social Services -- recommitted to the Committee on Social Services in
accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said
committee and committed to the Committee on Finance -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing a
full year youth employment immersion pilot program; and in relation to
creating a youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program in
three social services districts
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The social services law is amended by adding a new section
2 131-y to read as follows:
3 § 131-y. Youth employment immersion pilot program. 1. For the purposes
4 of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
5 (a) "Office" means the office of temporary and disability assistance.
6 (b) "Program" means the youth employment immersion pilot program
7 established under this section.
8 (c) "Eligible youths and young adults" means economically disadvan-
9 taged state residents who are between the ages of sixteen and twenty-
10 four who are not currently employed, and (i) for those age sixteen
11 through eighteen, are enrolled in high school or a high school equiv-
12 alency program, or (ii) for those age nineteen through twenty-four, have
13 graduated from high school or received high school equivalency. The term
14 "eligible youths and young adults" shall not include individuals who
15 have completed, or are currently enrolled in, post-secondary education,
16 or a business, professional, vocational, technical, or trade school
17 licensed or approved by the regents, or an apprenticeship program.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00868-02-6
S. 184--A 2
1 (d) "Economically disadvantaged" means state residents who are
2 currently receiving safety net or family assistance or who reside in a
3 household that would be eligible for receipt of safety net or family
4 assistance based on means testing.
5 (e) "Professional and transferable skills" shall include, but not be
6 limited to:
7 (i) collaboration;
8 (ii) communication;
9 (iii) creativity;
10 (iv) critical thinking; and
11 (v) self-advocacy.
12 2. The office shall establish a youth employment immersion pilot
13 program. The program shall be administered by the local social services
14 districts with supervision and regulation by the office. The program
15 shall be for eligible youths and young adults which shall include:
16 (a) up to twenty-five percent of an eligible youth or young adult's
17 time with the program being spent on education and employment readiness,
18 including, but not limited to:
19 (i) attending programs which teach workforce readiness, skill develop-
20 ment, financial literacy, or digital literacy;
21 (ii) earning a certification or license; or
22 (iii) being provided with job placement and retention services; and
23 (b) at least seventy-five percent of an eligible youth or young
24 adult's time with the program being spent engaging in paid employment
25 that builds professional and transferable skills.
26 3. The program shall permit eligible youths and young adults to apply
27 for participation in the program for a period of up to one year. Youth
28 and young adults shall not be permitted to remain as a participant in
29 the program if they (i) are ages age sixteen through eighteen and drop
30 out of high school; or (ii) otherwise enter post-secondary education, or
31 a business, professional, vocational, technical, or trade school
32 licensed or approved by the board of regents or an apprenticeship
33 program while enrolled in the program.
34 4. Youths and young adults who complete a full year of the program
35 shall have the option of re-applying to extend their participation in
36 the program by one year if they remain eligible youths and young adults
37 pursuant to the criteria set forth in subdivision three of this section.
38 5. The program shall perform outreach to eligible youths and young
39 adults at: high school equivalency programs; high schools, specifically
40 reaching out to students who do not have plans after graduation; and
41 public assistance work readiness programs. The program shall also reach
42 out to youths and young adults who are being released by the criminal
43 justice system or non-secure placement programs.
44 6. The program may provide employers with subsidies of up one-third of
45 the gross wages for up to one year for the hiring of a participant in
46 the program.
47 7. Program participants shall be compensated for employment, education
48 and employment readiness components at a rate equal to two hundred
49 sixty-five percent of the federal poverty line.
50 § 2. 1. A youth or young adult employment immersion pilot program is
51 hereby established by the office. The office shall select three local
52 social services districts, with one being located in the city of New
53 York, and the others reflecting geographic diversity. The pilot program
54 shall be established and operational within 9 months of the effective
55 date of this act and remain operational for a minimum of 24 months to
S. 184--A 3
1 provide eligible youth and young adults with services and employment or
2 connection to employment for the full duration of the pilot.
3 (a) The local social services district may operate the program in
4 coordination with the applicable local youth bureau.
5 (b) Nothing in this section shall limit a local social services
6 district or youth bureau from contracting with a not-for-profit entity
7 to effectuate the youth employment immersion pilot program.
8 2. Throughout the pilot, the local social services district shall
9 evaluate program participants and report the following information to
10 the office, on a schedule determined by the office, which does not
11 include any personally identifying information of any pilot program
12 participant:
13 (a) the number of participants and the length of time each participant
14 was in the pilot program;
15 (b) the number of participants who obtained certifications and/or
16 credentials during their participation in the pilot program;
17 (c) the number of participants who obtained gainful employment during
18 the course of the pilot program; and
19 (d) any other information requested by the office.
20 3. The office shall prepare and submit the report, containing the data
21 analyzation, annually to the governor, the temporary president of the
22 senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the assembly committee
23 on social services, and the chair of the senate committee on social
24 services no later than ninety days following the conclusion of the two
25 year pilot program.
26 4. For the purposes of this section, the term "office" shall mean the
27 office of temporary and disability assistance.
28 § 3. Subparagraph (ix) of paragraph (a) of subdivision 8 of section
29 131-a of the social services law, as added by section 1 of subpart D of
30 part XX of chapter 55 of the laws of 2020, is amended to read as
31 follows:
32 (ix) all of the income derived from participation in the summer youth
33 employment program or youth employment immersion pilot program, provided
34 however, that such income shall be exempt only for an individual who is
35 not older than age twenty-four at the time of enrollment in the summer
36 youth employment program or youth employment immersion pilot program and
37 such disregard must be applied for the length of the individual's
38 participation in such program. The commissioner shall seek any federal
39 waiver necessary to effectuate the one-time earned income disregard
40 pursuant to this subdivision.
41 § 4. The office of temporary and disability assistance shall submit to
42 the United States Department of Health and Human Services and the United
43 States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service any amend-
44 ments to the state plan which are necessary to effectuate the provisions
45 of this act.
46 § 5. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that:
47 (a) sections one, two and three of this act shall take effect upon
48 approval by the United States Department of Health and Human Services
49 and the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition
50 Service of the amendments to the state plan submitted by the office of
51 temporary and disability assistance pursuant to section four of this
52 act;
53 (b) the office of temporary and disability assistance shall notify the
54 legislative bill drafting commission upon the occurrence of the approval
55 of the amendments in the state plan provided for under paragraph (a) of
56 this section in order that the commission may maintain an accurate and
S. 184--A 4
1 timely effective data base of the official text of the laws of the state
2 of New York in furtherance of effectuating the provisions of section 44
3 of the legislative law and section 70-b of the public officers law; and
4 (c) effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of
5 any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on
6 its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before
7 such effective date.
